Casseroles recipe for 50

[oheoh's momma]

Hi I am looking for frugal casserole ideals for church on Sundays to serve about 50 people. We are now part of the refreshment committee and we take turns in groups of 3-4 to provide food for after fellowship. Cakes, pudding, salad, veggies are easy. Really need budget recipes for main dishes probably 4 -6 different ones to rotate for the year. Thanks

[MrsHutto]

For family reunions, I always make a ham and rice casserole that serves about 60. I never have any left to take home, so apparently it's pretty tasty to everyone.

Here's the recipe.

Ham & Rice Casserole

6 cups rice, uncooked
12 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
10 cups cubed ham
12 stalks celery
4 cups onions
2 green peppers
4 lb. carrots
garlic powder and pepper to taste (which equals a lot for a dish this size)

Place rice, water, garlic powder, pepper and salt in greased baking pan. Add chopped ham, celery, onions, peppers and carrots over rice.
Stir in 4 cans of cream of chicken soup and 3 cans cream of
mushroom soup into casserole mixture. Cover, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

[Floyd]

Tuna and pasta/tuna and rice bakes are very easy to make and go a long way.

Boil some eggs, make a bechamel sauce, put drained tuna and cut up eggs and cooked pasta/rice in as well as some peas or corn. Top with cheese and bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbling. Delicious when served with some garlic bread.

Good luck!

[sunshine]

Try here - food prices vary so widely around the country, so see if there is something here you can use: Casserole Recipe Index, Growlies for Groups

[shoiji]

Bread pudding can be very inexpensive to make yet filling.

Fritattas also come to mind. Can be served room temperature and filled with different kinds of seasonal veggies.

Basic crumb cakes can be made for large amounts of people.

Focaccia bread can be made inexpensively and topped with onions, tomatos, herbs, whatever is in season plus it can be served room temperature.

[SarahElmore]

Butternut Squash Casserole
Butternut Squash Casserole Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Corn Casserole
Shoepeg Corn Casserole Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Cheesey Potatoes & Ham Casserole (To Die For)
Heavenly Potatoes and Ham Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Macaroni & Cheese
Home Style Macaroni and Cheese Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Thanksgiving in a Pan Casserole
Thanksgiving in a Pan Recipe - Allrecipes.com


All these recipes are yummy, tested dished! Enjoy!

[DixieJ]

I think that Mexican chicken would be easy to make for a crowd, though it's not a casserole, maybe a soup day with 2 or 3 soups like potato, beef vegetable, taco soup. The bread pudding is a good idea for a budget dessert.

[Contrary Housewife]

I'll second the soups idea, potato soup made with milk or half-and-half instead of cream can be really cheap and just lovely on a winter day.

Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe: Recipes: RecipeTips.com This soup really is amazingly good. I think the recipe can be made with half the amount of chicken, if you're on a budget, and more vegetables put in. It can also be served over a ladle full of cooked spanish rice to make it even more filling.

Mac-n-cheese definitely. Mix it up with ham once in a while.

I saw some crowd pleasers on food network this morning that looked good:

Spicy Turkey Tenders with Blue Cheese Penne Pasta Recipe : Guy Fieri : Food Network

Oven Roasted Corn Recipe : Robert Irvine : Food Network